Fostering Sociopolitical Consciousness With Minoritized Youth: Insights From Community-Based Arts Programs

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the literature on community-based arts programs serving minoritized youth to identify the conditions and practices for fostering sociopolitical consciousness. Community-based arts programs have the capacity to promote teaching and learning practices in ways that engage youth in the use of academic skills to pursue inquiry, cultural critique, and social action. In this review, we pay particular attention to literary arts, theatre arts, and digital media arts to identify three dimensions of sociopolitical consciousness: identification, mobilization, and cosmopolitanism. By advancing the principle of sociopolitical consciousness within the theory and practice of critical and cultural relevant pedagogies, our review provides ways toward mitigating social and educational disparities.